Easy chair, settee, and the like



Oct. 15, 1940. G c BQLISTQN 2,218,415

EASY CHAIR, SETTEE, AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 21, 1939 Patented Oct. 15, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EASY CHAIR, SETTEE, AND THE LIKE George Charles Boliston, Southend-on- Sea, England Application January 21, 1939, Serial No. 252,140 In Great Britain January 24, 1938 3 Claims.

This invention relates to chairs'easy chairs, settees and thelike seating arrangements, and has for its object to provide a seat having a rocking action forwards and backwards.

According to this inventio n the seating aras anchor springs acting on the bottom of the seat between the same and the base.

In order that the invention may be readily understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing which shows=severa1 alternative forms and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of one form of chair according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows alternative arrangements of the pivot and the anchoring springs for the seat.

In Figure l the base I and the seat frame 2 are substantially rectangular and the base carries at the sides oppositely disposed bearing plates 3 which support, by means of pivots 4, sub-frame portions 5-conveniently of V pend from the seat frame 2.

-shape-which de- A plurality of an-.

choring coil springs 6 is disposed between the rear sides respectively of the base and seat frame and a similar set I is located between the front sides of the base and s eat-frame. In the construction according to Figure 1, the rear anchoring springs t are tension springs, whilst the front springs I are compression springs. Both sets may be tension or compre ssion springs.

The seat frame may be provided with a back 8 and arms 9 to form an arm chair and the aforesaid pivots 4 are conveniently disposed nearer to the front than to the rear as shown, so that when a person is using the arm cha for lounging the weight of his 11' thus constructed body will cause the seat I to tilt backwards under the control of the various springs.

The seat is provided with upholstery l0 which is supported by a suitable number of springs II arranged as a nest of springs distributed throughout the front-to-back depth of the seat, said springs extending completely through to the base I to bear thereon. Owing to s aid springs directly ling the rocking movement.

Thus control is aiforded in part by said springs I I and in part by the springs 6 and I.

In the modification shown in Figure 2, wherein the springs II are omitted for the sake of clearness the pivot for the seat comprises a ball or roller l2 mounted in a suitable socket in. the base I, lateral play of the seat being limited by any suitable means such as the side plates l3. Any other suitable pivoting devices may be used.

In this modification, seat anchoring springs which contribute to the control of the rocking movement are furnished at back and front and comprise tension springs which are detachable from the base I and/or the seat, by the provision of hook and eye connections such as illus- 15 trated in the drawing, or split link or other connections. If desired, adjustment of the tension in any sets of anchor springs may be provided for by making the connections from the base to the springs in the form of eye bolts adjustably mounted in the base. 2

A further modification illustrated in Figure 2, is that the back anchor springs may be longer than the front, the tops of these longer springs being connected to an inset piece II at the bottom of the back. 25

It is to be understood that although the resilient anchor devices 6 and I are described herein for example as coil springs, nevertheless articulated hydraulic shock absorbers may be substituted. 30

i I claim:

1.. In a seating device including a seat frame having an upholstery covering secured thereto and curved from front to back, said frame supported from a relatively fixed horizontal surface in such a manner as to permit said frame to have rocking movment, the combination therewith of a nest of springs positioned beneath the seat and distributed throughout the front to back depth thereof, said springs being so arranged that the 40 bases of said springs bear on the fixed horizontal surface beneath the seat whilst their upper ends directly support the upholstery covering in the manner of upholstery springs so that said springs are loaded to varying extents by the curvature of 45 the covering for controlling the rocking movement.

2. A seating device comprising, in combination,

a horizontal base member, a rigid seat frame provided at the sides with depending V-shaped sub- .frame portions arranged to rock about a .point of fixed location carried by the base, an upholstery covering secured to the upper side of the seat frame and curved from front to back, a nest of 55 springs positioned beneath said covering and distributed throughout the front-to-back depth thereof, said springs being so arranged that the bases thereof bear on the base member while their upper ends directly sup-port the said covering in the manner of upholstery springs so that said springs are loaded to varying extents by the curvature of said covering in order to contribute to the control of the rocking movement, and other springs acting between the rigid seat frame and the base and affording supplemental control of the rocking movement.

3. A seating device as claimed in claim 1 in which the rocking point is situated towards the front of the seat.

GEORGE CHARLES BOLISTON. 

